Combined skirt and bustle



(No Model.)

B. K. MILLER.

COMBINED SKIRT AND BUSTLE.

No. 377,401. Pgte'nted Feb. '7, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEicE.

EMORY K. MILLER, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

COMBINED SKIRT AND BUSTLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,401, dated February7, 1888.

Application filed June 20, 1887.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMORY K. MILLER, of Louisville, in the county ofJefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in \Vomens \Vearing- Apparel; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in ladies wearing-apparel, thenature and object of my invention being the production of a lightshapely undershirt for womens wear,that will, in conjunction with myattached and adjustable bustle or skirt supporter, afford a neat shapelyskirt,which will properly support the outside apparel draped upon it,and that by its lightness and pliability will yield to pressure andpermit the wearer to assume a sitting or reclining posture with ease,comfort, and no derangement of the supported clothing.

lVith these objects in view my invention consists of certain features ofconstruction and combinations of parts,that will be hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the claim.

Referring to the drawings, making a part of this specification, Figure 1represents a plan view of the bustle detached. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the detached bustle. Fig. 8 is a side elevation of thecomplete skirt with a bustle secured in position on it. Fig. 4 exhibitsa diagram showing method of construction of the skirt.

I will first describe the construction of the skirt.

In Fig. 4 one-half of the skirt is shown, and as the skirt isconstructed having both sides of similar form the description ofone-half will suffice for the entire garment.

The portion of the undershirt that is displayed in Fig. 4 is composed offour sections or pieces of material, A B (l D. Any suitable cloth orfibrous material may be employed, or, if desired, silk fabric may beutilized. The first piece, A, which, with a duplicate piece, composesthe front of the skirt, is cut of proper length to have a fall from thewaist toward the feet, and is cut tapering or slightly wedgeshaped, withthe wider portion at the lower edge of the same. The upper ends of thetwo Serial No. 241,897. (No model.)

front breadths of fabric are notched to remove a gore ortriangular-shaped piece of the material, (shown at a.) Pieces B are ofrelatively different widths to the front breadths,

.as shown in the drawings, which is simply given as a sample ofpreferred sizes for a skirt to suit a female of ordinary form andstature. They are also sloped from the bottom to the top ends upon theside edges. The upper ends of pieces B are cut from points I) b, tonarrow the top end of the pieces in about the proportion given in thediagram. Pieces 0 are preferably made slightly wider at the bottom ends,with the upper ends narrowed in about the same proportion as shown inthe diagram. The sloping to render the pieces 0 of less width at theirupper than at their lower ends is made upon the rear edges, 0, of thesepieces. The

rear sections or pieces of fabric, D, are made of equal width from thelower to the top edges of same, and the sections 0 D are given agradually-increasing length, to suit the form of the wearer and permitthe rear portion of the skirt to drape in proper form. The notching orgoring of the front breadths and the sloping of the edges ofthese andotherbreadths, as shown, will allow the material of the skirt whenjoined on the side edges to be attached to a top band or besecured byacasing and tape inserted therein without an objectionable fullness orgathering of the stuff that is common to underskirts made in the usualmanner.

I do not limit the construction of the skirt to the sizes marked on thediagram, as it is evident that these must be changed to suit the varyingsizes ofindividuals. The proportions as given are correct for skirtsadapted to fit women of correct proportions and ordinary height.

In order to facilitate the operation of placing the skirt upon theperson of the wearer, a vent-slit, J, is made at one side of the skirt,which is extended downwardly from the top edge of the waistband of theskirt a suitable length to allow the skirt to readily pass over the bustand shoulders. Any proper means of closing this opening in the top bandmay be employed.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the bustle used in connection with the skirt is shown.This consists of a piece of cloth, preferably made of cotton, cut

ICO

into a rectangular strip of proper width and length. This strip offibrous material, E, is plaited into shirs or casings adapted to receivestrips of steel or other elastic durable material of suitable length inproportion to the length of the casing-strip E, into which they areinserted, so as to permit the fabric of which the casing-strip E iscomposed to project several inches beyond the steel or other elasticstrips, which latter are secured by sewing the ends of the shirs shut,and thus closing them to retain the springs in place. Several of thesprings f may be used. The shirs in the casing-strip E are made aboutparallel to each other and proper distances apart, the number beinggraded to the dimension of the bustle.

The bustle is given a rearward projection by bending the steel or otherelastic springs f somewhat, when the free projecting ends E of thecasing-strip E are attached to a skirt in proper position to giveprominence to articles of dress placed over it, and it is evident thatthe bustle may be secured by safety-pins or sewed upon the skirt, as maybe desired. The several springs f may be given different de-' grees ofprominence of projection, depending I upon the set or curvature of theirbodies,

and this curvature may be so graded that the skirts of a dress placedover the bustle and underskirt upon which the bustle is attached will begracefully projected and draped and supported in that manner. Change ofprominence may be given by bending the bustle more or less when it issecured by its ends to the skirt.

When my improved form of skirt is used in connection with the bustlejust described, I prefer to employ an additional spring, G, which isinserted in a casing in the skirt below the bustle, which is placed inthe position usual to such appliances.

The use of an additional spring will aid in the support of heavy dressesand give a more decided rearward projection of a dress-train when thewearer is in an evening costume that is cut for a train or flowingskirt; or the bustle may be worn with any ordinary underskirt by itsattachment thereon in the manner herein before specified.

Having fully described my invention,what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- The combinatiomwith a skirt having a rearwardly-bulging portion, of a bustle formed independently of the skirt,and consisting, essentially, of a casing of flexible material havingpockets and springs secured in said pockets,

the said casing having end flaps by which the bustle is removablysecured to the bulging portion of the skirt, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

E ORY K. MILLER.

